Clay or gravel washing machine.



No. 636,995. Patnced Nov.- I4, |899. W. HUH-R & C. H. GIBBONS. CLAY 0B GHAVEL WASHING MACHINE.

(Appucation led Feb. 8, 1899.) (N o M o d e I H IIIIIIIIII WW1/wwwa,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

-WILLIAM B. HORR AND CLIFFORD H. GIBBONS, OF JACKSON, CALIFORNIA.

CLAY OR GRAVEL WASHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,995, dated November' 14, 1899. Application fled February 6 y 1899.v Serial No. 704,733. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM B. HOER and CLIFFORD H. GIBBoNs, citizens of the United States, residing at Jackson, county of Amador, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Clay and Gravel Washing Machines; and we hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

Our invention relates to an apparatus which is especially designed for washing clay or gravel which contains valuable or precious metals and separating the latter from the clay or gravel.

It consists in the parts and the constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a lateral section on line a; a; of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail in perspective of one end of the cylinder, showing the retaining-flange c.

A is a frame of any suitable or desired construction, and B is a trough having the general shape of half a cylinder and properly supported in the frame. At one end this cylindrical trough is contracted toward its axis, as shown at B', in the manner of half of a bottle-neck. Within this trough is j ournaled a cylinder C, which is made of longitudinal iron bars riveted at intervals to circular rims the hubs of which are fixed to a central longitudinal shaft, as shown. The periphery of the cylinder coincides closely in shape with the interior of the trough B, but is nearer to the bottom than to the sides. The bars c composing the cylinder are approximately one and one-half inches wide by half an inch thick,with interspaces one-eighth of an inch wide. Interspaced between the flat bars are six or more,made of an gle-iron,with the angleiianges projecting inwardly. One end of the cylinder is open, as shown, to receive the material which is to be operated upon by it, with a three-inch interior flange c' to prevent the material from washing into the trough. The other end is contracted, as shown at C', and has an extension or neck C2, resembling the neck of a bottle. These circular rims of the cylinder have radial arms D extending to the hubs, and these, as previously stated, are fixed to a central shaft E, upon which the cyl*a inder is mounted. This shaft is properly journaled inthe framework and may be driven by crank, pulley, or other device, as indicated at F. The cylinder and trough are set at a slight angle, declining from the larger end toward the discharge. In the lower part of the trough is a depression or chamber G, which serves to catch and retain any gold or heavy metal which arrives at that point. This chamber is in the form of a channel cut transversely through the bottom of the trough and is closed by a door fitting closely against gaskets and secured by screw-bolts, latch, or other suitable device. The interior of the cylinder C is provided with inwardly-project; ing teeth or ribs H, by which the material is agitated and broken up as the cylinder is revolved.

The operation of the apparatus will be as follows: The clay or gravel to be treated is delivered into the larger and higher end of the cylinder and water is delivered into the trough, rising into the cylinder and mixing with the material which has been delivered therein. The cylinder is rotated and the material is constantly acted upon by the inwardly-projecting teeth or ribs and is thus thoroughly disintegrated, the action being especially favorable in the case kof material which contains adhesive clay, the latter being broken up and separated so that fine gold which may be mixed therewith will be eventually separatedV from the clay and passing through the sides of the cylinder into the trough will be eventually concentrated and arrested in the depression G.

The inclined or tapering construction of the neck C of the bottle-shaped cylinder tends to prevent the clay or gravel from passing out of the cylinder before it has been entirely disintegrated and gives the heavier parts a chance to settle at this point, While the lighter material will gradually iiow out through the small bottle-shaped neck and be discharged. The inclined portion Cof the neck is made, without openings, of sheet metal, the cylindrical portion of the neck being made with interspaced bars similar to themain body C.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i 1. A device for separating gold from clay IOO or gravel consisting of an inclined cylinder composed of longitudinal interspaced bars, said cylinder having one end made conical and of imperforate material, and a neck prolongation of said conical end formed of parallel interspaced bars serving as a iinal screen for any material which passes over the said imperforate portion, an inclined segmental trough having an end and an extension thereof conforming to the cylinder and its imperforate conical end and neck extension, said trough having a transverselycurved and gated depression at or near the junction of the imperforate section with the main body of the screen.

2. A device for separating gold from clay or gravel consisting of an inclined cylinder having one end open and the opposite end made conical and provided with an extension of reduced diameter, said cylinder and said extension formed of longitudinal interspaced bars connecting the one with the other by means of a conical im perforate section whereby the reduced portion of the cylinder serves to separate the material which passes over the intermediate imperforate surface to the final discharge, a retaining-flange c at one end of the cylinder, means whereby the cylinder is rotated, a semicircular trough adapted to contain Water and conforming to the cylinder and the reduced extension and conical portion thereof, and a Well or chamber in said trough proximate to the conical end of the cylinder and provided with a gate-controlled outlet.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

VILLIAM B. HORR. CLIFFORD H. GIBBONS.

Witnesses:

A. PICCARDO, STEPHEN ANZUR. 

